- Rubio's five-day trip to India and Uzbekistan begins October 17.
- Focus on strengthening strategic ties and enhancing energy cooperation.
- .Visit addresses trade differences and Russian oil sanction row.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will embark on a five-day official visit to India and Uzbekistan from October 17 to 22. The trip will focus on bolstering strategic partnerships and advancing energy cooperation, beginning in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, before concluding in India, according to the US Department of State.
During the visit, Rubio is scheduled to meet senior government officials to strengthen the US-India strategic partnership, hold discussions on regional and global developments, and discuss prospects for enhanced energy cooperation. Rubio is also set to meet business leaders to promote opportunities for commercial investment and economic cooperation.
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Energy cooperation is to be in focus
Rubio’s visit comes at a time when India and the US are having differences over trade and energy ties. Negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement have faced multiple delays, with officials from both countries indicating earlier this month that efforts to finalise the deal had halted again.
India has also raised questions over proposed US legislation that could allow President Donald Trump to impose tariffs as high as 100 per cent on countries purchasing Russian energy. Washington has sought to pressure Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
For a brief period, India reduced its purchases of Russian energy in early 2026, but imports have since increased, specifically following disruptions to global energy supplies linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Rubio’s visit comes days after the US-India relations, has been staind by disagreements over tariffs, energy purchases and Trump’s repeated claim that he helped broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan. America was also slammed after a military attack on a vessel off Oman killed three Indian seafarers.
Rubio’s last visit to India was in May, when he travelled to four cities over four days. His latest trip is likely to provide an opportunity to discuss shared regional and global concerns alongside economic cooperation.
Rubio’s Uzbekistan Visit
Ahead of coming to India, Rubio will visit Samarkand in Uzbekistan for a ministerial meeting involving five Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
He will head a delegation of more than 200 US business leaders, the State Department said, calling the trip an opportunity to strengthen commercial cooperation with the resource-rich region.